Paparazi
by ShandaTeals
Summary: Frank Iero, part of the paparazzi, is Gerard Way's biggest fan. It means the world to Gerard, no matter how much it may seem like he doesn't care. But after Frank's camera breaks on Gerard's watch, just how should Gerard thank his number one fan?


Gerard Way was Frank Iero's obsession.

Frank sat down in one of the expensive café chairs located right outside the Dawson Lucre. He'd been there in the same seat for about fifty minutes, waiting for the promising reappearance of Gerard Way, lead singer of Alphabet Soup. Sure, the band was new. But they had already had three hit songs under their belt. Not to mention the fact that Frank had stalked Gerard before the band became public.

In the oddest of places the two of them met up, exchanging small words and glances with each other. Just two weeks ago at the band's release of yet another assured hit single, the two had 'bumped' into each other. Of course, Frank had staged the innocent bump. But that day, all his four years of devoted stalking paid off. Gerard had finally asked for the familiar boy's name.

Frank had stuttered his banal one-syllable excuse-for-a-name, extending a hand to his idol. Gerard warmly shook it and even encouraged Frank to stay as some other members of the paparazzi enviously snapped photos of the two together. Who wouldn't want to be in the hands of sex-god Gerard Way, from the band Alphabet Soup?

That had been the best day in Frank's life, hands down.

Frank had waited for that moment the second he entered the halls of Bell High four years ago. His fate was sealed on the first day of school as soon as he, the outcast, laid eyes on Gerard, the sex-ridden boy that played in his own rock band. With a weird craft of photography and the odd obsession with Gerard mounting, it was only natural before Frank became their 'unofficial' photographer. Of course, no one but Gerard and his entourage cared much about that. In reality, Gerard was much an outcast as was Frank. But for some reason, Frank didn't see him in that light. Instead Gerard was his idol, and there was no other superstar he'd rather dream about.

He made it quickly through the first years of high school before Gerard went off and graduated. After that, he'd been alone in that school for two miserable years. But as soon as he graduated, he somehow managed to convince his father to let him pursue his 'passion' and practice photography as well. Of course, he spoke of his 'passion' in the metaphorical sense; his true 'passion' was Gerard.

It was his goal to chase Gerard down until Gerard finally felt an ounce of what he did in reciprocation. Maybe if he followed Gerard enough, Gerard would love him back. But if his father knew that 'Gerard' was what he meant by 'passion,' he would have never supported him staying alone in Bell while he went back to Italy to deal with financial problems with the family.

Frank's relationship with Italy was hot and cold. He adored the place and badly wanted to visit; but at the same time, he knew it would be on his father's agenda to find him a suitable partner from Italy (something about keeping the Iero blood 'pure').

Frank already had his eyes set on a certain someone, and after following him for four years it seemed to finally pay off. Gerard asked for his name two weeks ago. That, if anything, was a sign of improvement. And the photos of them that were surfacing on the net were priceless. It was his mission to get Gerard to notice and want him as badly as he always wanted Gerard. He wasn't going to stop until Gerard was finally his, and things seemed to be looking good for him. Even though Gerard seemed to avoid him after the encounter, Frank still had hope that maybe Gerard would say 'hi' to him today. How great would that be?

It'd be even better if he had a new camera though, but it looked as if that wasn't going to happen any time soon. He'd have to do with the secondhand camera he already had in order to snap shots of Gerard. Or, as he told his father, 'pursue his passion.' Frank's father asked him time and time again whether or not he was ready for a new camera, but every time his father suggested it, there was no time to go out and buy it. Gerard was always in town doing something or playing somewhere. Then finally, his father had to leave to Italy and there was definitely no time to get a new camera.

He had, much to his dismay, gotten odd jobs to work toward getting the money for his $700 dream camera on days that Gerard and the band weren't out. Or, on days that they were out, Frank didn't bother doing the odd jobs until he'd snapped a few shots. But right after that, it was back to working for that camera. Of course after Frank got the camera, there would be nothing else he would want more in the world. Everything would be complete, because he'd be stalking Gerard with the best camera around.

Did I say Gerard Way was becoming Frank's obsession? Sorry. I meant Gerard was becoming Frank's life.

Now, Gerard was a mere hundred yards away from him, signing autographs and advertising for his latest single in a building that was only a block away from his house. The rest of the band was out at other locations, having their own signing sessions. They had all gone home by now, since it was evening already. But who cared if it was about to hit 6:00 now? He'd wait forever for Gerard to pull out. He'd camp out if he had to, too. His house wasn't too far away…

Not more then ten minutes later, the doors to the café swung open and Frank quickly jumped up, preparing himself for Gerard's exit. The last time he had seen Gerard close up and managed to breathe his scent was weeks ago. Frank was craving it and he didn't want anyone or anything standing in his way for the small, yet unlikely, chance of Gerard possibly saying 'hi.'

Before Frank could ever reach enough time to prepare, there Gerard stood with his perfect ravenous black hair and glowing skin, just waiting—no, screaming—to be photographed. Frank immediately gripped his camera and snapped away viciously, catching the most alluring poses Gerard had to offer. If he wasn't slightly loosing it, he'd say he felt like Gerard's eyes were on him the whole time.

But he couldn't blame Gerard. Frank hated to toot his own horn, but his camera always had the best shots. There was a point in time when only the crappy shots of him got onto TV. It had angered Frank for a while. Amateur photographers had snapped and flashed at the amazing rocker and didn't do him justice at all. Frank had held back from giving his pictures to the media because he hadn't wanted to be paid. Everything and anything Gerard-related was from the goodness of his heart. To do anything otherwise was heresy.

After seeing so many horrible photos of Gerard on media shows like 'Gossip Tonight,' it finally dawned on Frank that letting that occur was ultimate heresy. He could just anonymously 'donate' his photos without gaining profit, couldn't he?

And soon enough, the problem of bad representation was solved. But Gerard didn't have to worry about that. No. If anything wrong happened in the media, Frank was already on it, working on some plan to straighten everything out before news would even reach the ears of his Rock-God.

Frank's mind came back as he caught a glimpse of Gerard's white pearly teeth, biting his lip and winking at a reporter who then furiously blushed before asking him some questions. Gerard answered them briefly in that raspy and alluring tone of his, and Frank couldn't help but become jealous. He couldn't help but wear a disappointed smile as Gerard slowly walked away, shouting answers.

It was something he dealt with every day, but it stabbed him deeper into his core every time he experienced it. Gerard was able to talk to everyone that way, but never had he spoken to him. And even when he did, it was only, "What's your name?" and a handshake. These reporters got giggles from him, sexy smiles, and tons of answers to any questions they had.

Frank should have expected as much. He was, after all, only a paparazzo.

Frank took another snap as the reporter asked Gerard what his favorite color was (green, didn't they know?), favorite cartoon of all time (Spongebob, duh), and what time of his life he missed the most (high school).

The woman thanked Gerard after they shared some laughs (meters apart from each other), and Gerard gracefully headed down the rest of the walkway. Hysteria broke out, and fans were pushing and shoving everywhere. Frank was used to this by now, but he hadn't been prepared for the vicious shoving that came from the security guards of the reporters. In fact, that woman who had just shared laughs with Gerard was already heading in the opposite direction, getting ready to make another recording. Had that been Frank, he'd be too amazed, trying to let the reality of what just happened sink into his brain. But they were the big shots, and he was just a small fish in the sea.

Like a rag doll, Frank was flung over the walkway and landed on his chest as they whizzed by. There was an awful crunching sound, and it seemed like time had stood still for Frank. His chest hurt, but all that he kept hearing was the repeated cruuunch of his camera.

Cruuunch wasn't a good sound to hear, at least not one like he just heard. A sound like that could only mean one thing; and he was too scared to figure out if his guess was good, so he remained still on the floor as he debated what he should do. He didn't have enough time to do that, naturally. It wasn't long before he could feel hands gripping his face and fingers brushing his cheeks. And soon enough, he heard voices.

"Is he okay?"

"Is he moving?"

"Back up and give him space!"

With a dizzy head, Frank tried to coherently mutter something. He had to get up and move out of Gerard's way. It's not like Gerard had all day. He was a busy person, a star. And he was a nuisance. Despite the fact that Frank might've been in the stalking game long before the people surrounding him were, Frank knew it was against the code for stars like Gerard to stop for anyone associated with the paparazzi.

Even if the paparazzo that had fallen was his hugest fan and just happened to have his camera smashed while trying to take amazing photos of him.

Frank took a deep breath and inhaled, his chest stinging. And as he tried to rise, he could hear the unmistaken sound of broken plastic and glass dancing together as they fell from the cloth of his shirt to the cement of the floor. He didn't dare look down at the rubble, but his assumptions were proven correct as soon as he heard the shrill cry of, "Your camera!" followed by more flashing lights.

Tears of anger, frustration, and pity came to Frank's eyes as the realization hit him. He looked at the jumbled crap that lay on the floor of the steps to the Dawson Lucre and shook his head.

There went his excuse to follow Gerard. The camera was the only way he could do so without receiving a restraining order of some kind. It was also the only way everybody would support his cause. Had he been some random creeper, he'd have no one's sympathy. But with a camera and acting like a wannabe professional paparazzo…oh, having a camera changed everything.

Frank was disappointed with his stupidity. Gerard Way was a huge star now. He should have known better than to keep his guard so low during events nowadays. He wasn't in high school anymore, and now everyone wanted a piece of Gerard. If he wanted a piece of him, he had to fight for it too. It would be hard to fight, though, without his weapon.

"I-It's all gone," he muttered pathetically, shaking his head. He picked up the pieces on the floor before he threw them back down. "Damn."

Frank was so absorbed in his misfortune that he hadn't looked up to review the chaos ensuing around him. Forget looking up; Frank senses hadn't kicked in yet. If he had, he would have noticed that a certain favorite artist of all time was still grasping his face.

"I'll buy you another one," Gerard softly offered, interrupting Frank. Startled, Frank looked up as Gerard kneeled before him, picking up camera pieces as well. Frank's eyes widened and mouth hung agape as the star nervously continued with, "Although, I know whatever camera I buy can't replace the memories you already had on that one."

Did Gerard just offer to buy a new camera for him? And what memories? The only thing on that camera were pictures of Gerard, and he was right next to Frank, holding him, rubbing his back, speaking to him…Initially, he'd been bummed. But once he realized the situation he was in, screw the camera loss. Gerard had actually broken the code and stopped. Not only had he stopped, but he also offered to take care of something that he had nothing to do with.

Did he already mention how amazing Gerard was?

"I-It's okay Mr. G-Gerard Way sir," Frank stuttered, dismissing the idea as he quickly tried to get up and out of the star's way. He kept his head down, opting now to look at the broken material instead of bothering to show Gerard the face of a klutz.

Gerard had spoken to him again, which was good. But Gerard didn't have to necessarily know that himself, did he? In fact, he hoped Gerard didn't remember him now. How humiliating would it be if Gerard recognized him here, making a complete fool of himself? At least the 'Frank' that met him a few days ago still had a chance…

Maybe he'd just give himself a new name. There was no way Gerard would even remember. He was assured Gerard had better things to do than notice small insignificant things. And after having four years of experience, Frank knew paparazzi were insignificant to Gerard. Had they been important, he and Gerard would have been good friends by now: or at least on the first-name basis.

Disappointedly, Frank looked up at Gerard as he resumed his apology. "I'm so s-sorry for t-that, sir."

"Someone pushed you," Gerard replied, dismissing Frank's attempt as well. He tried to help the fallen paparazzo and patted the young boy's chest down. He seemed like a newbie here, and Gerard felt kind of bad for him. As a group, the paparazzi were collectively vicious when they saw something or someone they liked. Whatever company the man worked for hadn't done a good job of briefing him on his job and what to expect, Gerard concluded. For starters, there was no nametag, Gerard noticed. Speaking of association, it seemed like the young man had none. No big music business gossip companies would send someone like him here. Neither, Gerard noticed, was the fallen man dressed in appropriate attire. This was the Premiere. It was informal for the star: completely formal for everyone else.

The dude was in khaki shorts and a white t-shirt, with sunglasses and dirty converse sneakers to match. Not to mention he had quite a couple body art on him in the oddest of places, which Gerard didn't mind so much. But it was obvious the guy didn't look like he belonged. He certainly wasn't the star, and he didn't fit in with the crowd he was in either. It was safe to assume he was a wannabe.

Slowly, Gerard's eyes traveled up the boy's body to see the edge of his pink luscious lip encircled by a small silver ring. Those lips seemed so familiar to Gerard, and he actually made the effort to properly look at the boy. Where had he seen him before?

It wasn't until Frank decided to look up that Gerard recognized the face of the little boy who had been thrown at his feet. He wasn't just any paparazzo. He was Frank Iero…not like he memorized it or anything. Gerard could recognize those amazingly green eyes and sweet lips anywhere, kind of like he did now.

It was the same boy that had been following him for four years, before he became famous. And a few days ago, he had finally learned his name. Well, he had finally publicly learned Frank's name. Truth was, Gerard had already known his name, and he breathed it every night before he went to bed. Hell, there were times when he dreamed of him. Although that was disappointing on his part: had he introduced himself earlier like he had wanted to, Frank would have been with him when he went to bed all those times, and Gerard's mere dreams would have become reality.

Truth was, before he ever became an ounce of what he was now, Frank had followed him around as an amateur. Amateur or not, Gerard had felt lucky to have anyone have the slightest of interests in him back then, and he felt the same way now (except he had guards who shoved all paparazzi—including wannabes—away now). In fact, he was sure his success with his career and fans had to do with Frank. Frank had been the only one taking pictures in high school, so it made the most sense to say that Frank was the one who uploaded so many of those pictures onto the Internet. Not to mention the fact that Frank was a huge fan of his work. He'd admittedly shouted it numerous times at any of the concerts he'd gone to crash, only to get kicked out by the guards. Frank had been there from Day One, back in the high school days, and he was here now. It was because of Frank that Gerard and his band hit it big as soon as their years in high school were over.

"It's okay," Frank insisted, giving a small smile. Among the perfect skin and the jet-black hair, Gerard's perfect orbs were squinting. Just as he expected, Gerard hadn't remembered him. "You don't remember, do you?" Frank nervously asked.

He didn't have time for a response right away, though. He could hear numerous shouts and threats aimed at him from Gerard's bodyguards and he tensed up, looking for the quickest exit strategy. How many times did he need to remind himself of the small fact that 'Famous Gerard from high school' and 'Famous Gerard now' were completely different people?

Gerard merely bit his lip as he concentrated more on Frank, making Frank blush. "It's okay sir…I was just about to leave," Frank murmured, pulling away as he tried to disappear into the throng of people surrounding the two of them. But Gerard had other things in mind as he held Frank back.

"It's Frank, right?" Frank heard, underneath the screaming and shouting of fans and paparazzi for 'Mr. Way!' to strike a pose or from the guards demanding for 'Mr. Way' to head into the car now. Confused and slightly amused, Frank turned around and embarrassedly bit his lip instead of speaking. If he imagined it and spoke, he would have a made a fool out of himself more than he had already. In the end, Frank decided to simply look back at him, smiling.

"Right?" Gerard asked again, and Frank gave a subtle nod before Gerard was pressured by his bodyguard to enter the car.

"Hold on, Jamie," Gerard lightly demanded, giving the guard with light blonde hair an annoyed look. "I'm coming." Turning his attention to the paparazzo that was about to leave, Gerard asked, "You know where the Hilton is?"

Frank gave a subtle shrug, and Gerard grinned. Hastily, before Jamie could yell at him again, he took a moment to scribble down some information before reaching for a parting handshake with his adoring fan.

"Nice meeting you again, Frank," Gerard said, flashing him a genuine smile.

The paparazzi went wild, as did Frank's heart, and some even went as far as tempering with the scene as they pushed Frank back on the spotlight. They demanded Frank stay in Gerard's grasp, and the music star jumped at the opportunity with his arm wrapped around his biggest fan—despite his small size.

Frank froze as he felt Gerard grip him tightly against his body and his breathing hitched as he heard Gerard whisper something in his ear. He'd been too fazed to understand Gerard, but he heard Gerard mutter about a room or something: all gibberish, from his viewpoint.

Gerard didn't seem to notice the effect he had on Frank. If he had, he would have realized that nothing he just said registered in Frank's mind like he had hoped. Then again, everything he said was already in the paper he planned to slip in Frank's hand.

Gerard owed everything to Frank; he truly did. He just didn't know what he could possibly do to get the message across, though. He admitted that pretending to ignore Frank and not remember him from their high school days was a bad idea. Because despite four years of doing just that, Gerard Way was still infatuated with, and still indebted to, Frank Iero. He was just hoping that by the time he saw Frank again, he'd finally know what to do to thank him after all this time. Maybe start afresh.

Soon enough, Frank felt Gerard leave him something in his palm and he gripped it tightly as Gerard backed away. With a wink and a quick wave, Gerard was hauled into the black SUV parked before them and disappeared. Frank stood, dazed as billions of lights blinded his eyes.

Frank didn't even think about how annoying they were; not even when the crowd swallowed him whole as they tried to catch the car, or bombard him with questions about how Gerard smelled, or what he said. The only thing on his mind was the fact that Gerard had helped him up, held him, brushed—no rubbed—his back, remembered his name, and invited him over to the Hilton. He couldn't fucking believe it.

This was way better than their last encounter, which consisted of Frank mostly stuttering 'yes' or 'no' answers.

Frank was interrupted from his thoughts by the voice of a nagging reporter. She primped her hair twice before she signaled for the cameraman to quickly follow her lead. Once she reached the young man, she snapped her fingers thrice in order to signal the cameraman to prepare and began her little interview.

"So, Frank," she finally asked, coyly looking back at the camera to make sure he was shooting from the best angle to complement her looks. "How does it feel to be noticed by Mr. Way?"

Taking a few blinks to clear his mind, Frank watched the black car drive off as he gripped the hardened item in his hand. He unwrapped it and quickly glimpsed at the message inside. With a dreamy smile on his face, Frank answered the question he was asked with a hint of triumph.

"It feels great," he replied, grinning widely. He wiped the small debris from his camera off his chest before he replied again with, "It's awesome."

* * *

Frank couldn't wipe the smile off of his face for the next three hours. He sat eagerly; waiting for the time he would be able to see Gerard again, he started picking his fingernails. Without his camera, he hadn't been able to go out and stalk Gerard like he would have liked to for the past three hours. So he sat at home instead, reading and rereading the note Gerard had given him.

9:00 p.m. tonight  
Hilton, Rm: 2844  
P.S. Sorry about your camera, btw.  
~G. Way xoxo

His mind was going haywire as he analyzed every plausible scenario possible for tonight. He was coming up with many dead ends, though. So far, the most probable scenario was that he'd arrive and one of the guards would hand him a camera (assuming that the meeting had something to do with his camera) before quickly ushering him out of the hallway. They wouldn't want a rumor started with that annoying prick of a paparazzo, now would they? But Frank completely understood. He'd do anything in the name of Gerard's career.

Besides, it wasn't about the possibility of getting a gift from Gerard that excited him. He was doing just fine hyping himself up from this evening's public appearance and association two hours ago. Gerard had hugged him in front of everyone, meaning he essentially touched him in front of an audience. After endless masturbation sessions and endless stalking, Gerard had held Frank waist, cradled his face, and whispered in his ear.

He was pretty damn happy.

Taking a nervous glance at the clock on the wall, Frank grabbed his backpack full of necessities such as his cell phone and other Gerard Way memberbelia (in case he would sign anything) before he left the house. It was starting to rain, but Frank disregarded that fact as he walked down to the Hilton; Alphabet Soup's hit singles played in his ears as he headed down to meet the lead singer himself.

An umbrella was the last thing on his mind.

* * *

Nervously, Frank waited outside the alleyways located around the Hilton. With no camera and no pass of any kind permitting him inside the building—let alone near Gerard's room—he tried to hide himself in the shadows. Just imagine the gossip that would ensue if he had come out and entered the Hilton. Frank was sure the encounter wouldn't last long—probably not even five minutes. But this was the media he was going to have to deal with, and he would know with his 'amateur' experience.

But Frank wished something like the nature of the media's gossip would have the possibility of happening in the actual world. Merely wishing and stalking the person didn't work; he'd tried that already for some time now. All it got you was a, "Hey."

Frank remained on the grimy wall, shaking his head at his misfortune. How could he have possibly imagined getting inside the building without a pass or something? Damn him for deciding to open the note later, rather than on the spot. That was why Gerard had been staring at him like that. Gerard was expecting him to ask for a key, wasn't he? Jeez, he was such a—

"You came?" someone asked, and Frank nearly jumped out of his skin. By the time he turned around to face his perpetrator and prepared himself to scream, he saw Gerard Way standing beside him, grinning. Frank nearly jumped out of his skin for another reason now, mouth slightly agape as he took in Gerard's beauty away from the flashing lights. It was just him, Gerard, and the moonlight.

"S-Sir?" Frank asked, stuttering in shock. His hands instinctively went to his lower abdomen, the spot that once had the heavy camera thud against it as he stalked Gerard. However, he remembered that it no longer existed and bit his lip in disappointment, cheeks burning.

Gerard immediately reached for Frank's hands and he pulled Frank out of the shadows, entering the hotel through the back exit. Frank's mind went into over drive, daydreaming of other possibilities. Did Gerard want Frank to take pictures of him privately? He couldn't believe it…

They entered the quiet and heavy security lobby, and Gerard looked Frank over. Frank's breathing was labored, and he managed to give a small smile. Damn his nervousness.

"Sorry," Frank muttered, eyes scanning the lobby of the grand Hilton through the glass door. Frank absorbed the grandeur of the place he was stepping in as he remembered all the small and stingy garages Gerard had played in before he got here. It just reiterated the fact that Gerard was some huge star now, and he, Frank, was still down there on the scale. That was where he would always be. Without a doubt, Frank wasn't in the league of 'potentials' for Gerard.

"For what?" Gerard asked, pulling Frank along with him as he entered the elevator. One of his bodyguards gave him a heads up and Gerard smiled at him, waving on the other concealed side of the lobby. The woman behind the counter waved at Gerard as well, and Gerard grinned in response.

Frank couldn't help it as his stomach clenched in envy. Things he'd fought endlessly for the last couple of years were just given away freely to them. For those same acts to happen to him took ages, and he'd been there from the start. Then again, maybe Gerard didn't like him. No one asked for Frank to do what he did, anyway.

What if this whole thing Gerard was setting up was just a way to nicely let him down? Maybe a 'this-was-nice-but-now-I'm-a-star-and-don't-need-you' kind of thing was going to happen, which was why he chose to do this in secret rather than in public! He should have never come. It was better chasing Gerard from a distance. The possibility of getting figured out and getting rejected didn't hurt so much then. He should have figured it out when Gerard invited him to this stupid place.

Once the elevator doors closed, Gerard's attention was back on Frank, his smile unwavering. Frank's smile, however, was nonexistent.

"What's wrong?" Gerard softly asked, his own smile shrinking. Frank gave a sheepish shrug as he blushed from his foolish thoughts.

"Sorry."

"You keep saying that," Gerard said, nervously chuckling.

"I'm sorry—I mean," Frank said, correcting himself, "I won't speak again, sir."

Gerard looked at Frank again before he shook his head. "Hey, no…I didn't mean it like that."

"That's okay," Frank said, retreating into the corner of the elevator. He seemed to forget that Gerard was attached to him, and he was essentially pulling the two of them into the tight corner. Here he was, face to face with the man he dreamed about every night; thanks to his last minute thoughts he was screwing up. He should have known Gerard was joking, trying to light the depressive mood that had suddenly befallen him.

"No, I mean it," Gerard said, looking worried. "I sounded like a jerk, and I've been acting like one for the past four years."

Frank's heart skipped a beat. So Gerard had remembered him! All that time, Frank thought this was a hopeless, one-sided thing. But it wasn't: at least, not completely. That was all the invitation Frank needed to relax and tell Gerard what it was he promised himself he'd say if he ever was in a situation like this one. Part of him still couldn't believe this was happening, but he managed to snap out of his stupor and took a deep breath before he finally spoke.

"Sir…Mr. Way," Frank started, looking into Gerard's eyes. He swooned as the elevator slowly came to a halt on Gerard's floor. Scared that his moment was ruined, he shut his mouth. Gerard waited for Frank to continue, but Frank disappointed him, remaining silent and stepping out of the elevator. Gerard followed him, holding his hand.

"My room's that way," Gerard quietly said, looking down and tugging Frank in the opposite direction than the one he was headed in. Frank gave a slight nod before he followed him, mentally slapping himself for such a stupid move. Even if he had wanted to get away and walk on his own, he couldn't do it here of all places. He didn't know where he was.

The two walked in silence until they reached Room 2844. Gerard gave a heavy sigh as he reached for his card and Frank used this as his opportunity to speak his mind. Granted, he spent a little too much time revving himself up to speak, but he was going to do it. He was determined to let Gerard know how he felt, to an extent. Beginning, he opened his mouth. "I'm—"

"And we're here," Gerard said, trying to crack a smile as the lights to his suite came on. Frank was amazed and easily distracted by the place; it was grander than the lobby. "Please," Gerard continued, heading to his bedroom. "Make yourself comfortable. I think I have your gift for you in my room…"

"Wow," Frank murmured, blatantly looking around as he sat on the extremely comfy couch. He bounced on it a couple times before he decided it'd be nice if he took off his shoes. He didn't want to mess up Gerard's white carpet. Silly him, he should have taken his shoes off right where it said, 'Shoe Mat.' "This…this must be amazing, Mr. Way," he complemented him, placing his shoes by the mat.

"Number one, it's Gerard," Frank heard Gerard demand from the bedroom.

"Sorry Mr. W—I mean, Gerard," Frank stammered, in the sitting room. He took a while before he decided that he'd take his socks off, too. How else could he experience the luxury of Gerard's oriental rug? Quickly, he peeled the cloth off of his feet and wiggled his toes as he went back to the couch.

"Number two," Gerard continued, "stop apologizing to me."

"Sor—okay," Frank said, catching himself in time. He blushed as he took his backpack off of his back and placed it on the floor near the couch. It was after all of Frank's things were set away that Frank sat back and reabsorbed the beautiful scenery. Even with his impurities, the suite still seemed spotless.

"And number three," Gerard admitted, actually answering Frank's initial question, "it is amazing. But I just like the idea of having someone to share this all with, you know…?"

Frank grimaced as soon as he heard those words. He was no stranger to Gerard's love life. The whole world knew about his previous affairs. A man like him could get any woman or man he wanted, and he took advantage of that. There were even times in high school when his band started getting popular that Gerard enjoyed the 'benefits' of being a rock star.

Like Frank said, he knew all things 'Gerard'; and that meant he knew who had the honor of having Gerard fuck them, unfortunately.

There was a light thud before Gerard exclaimed, "A-ha! Found it…" bringing Frank back to the present. He took a deep breath before he stated a line he made sure to memorize, just in case something like this happened. (Not like he daydreamed about things like this, or possibly had a nightmare that started out this way.) Like an actor reading a script, Frank executed the scene to the best of his possibility. All he had to do was smile, face the direction of Gerard's bedroom, and state nonchalantly—

"I'm sure you and your girlfriend must really enjoy this place," Frank quietly said. "It's really awesome."

"I actually don't have one," Gerard said, entering the room as he held a brand new state-of-the-art camera in his left hand. It wasn't a great angle to see it from, but Frank knew it was the camera he'd always wanted. That camera right there was $700. It didn't matter that Gerard had taken it out of the box to ensure Frank wouldn't see the price tag because Frank had already seen it advertised, and it was the very same piece of junk that made him do odd jobs to hopefully get enough money to…

Trying to seem unfazed (or maybe less nosey?), Frank's mind returned to the conversation at hand. "Boyfriend?" he cautiously tried, shaking the image of the camera from his mind. Gerard grinned, shaking his head.

"Nope. I'm completely single," he stated, shrugging.

"Well…I'm…I'm sure you'll find someone Mr. Way," Frank said, giving a small smile.

"Yeah right," Gerard chuckled at Frank. "My love life sucks. Hopefully you're having better luck." Frank immediately giggled at Gerard's huge error. "What's funny?" Gerard asked, biting his lip and raising a brow as he waited for the answer he wanted to hear from Frank.

"I'm single," Frank chuckled finally. "What else would I ever be?"

The two had just admitted to each other the most important piece of information either of them really wanted to know about each other, and now the air was thick with possibility. Frank never did well in these situations, and tried to resume the conversation so he could somehow change the topic. "Well, um…how about you reconnect with some of your past relationships?" Frank tried. "That works for some people."

Gerard shook his head in disagreement. Besides, he didn't just find out that Frank was single so he could just hook up with an ex. It was Frank he was after. "Most of those people I hung out with weren't really that…important. More like a one-night thing," he said, shrugging.

"Oh," Frank said. There wasn't much to say to that.

"But there's this one guy I might try to hook up with," Gerard admitted. Frank's heart broke, but he also couldn't help himself from smiling. Could he possibly help Gerard hook up with this mystery person? Maybe he'd be invited to their wedding or something for his efforts. And even if it meant watching Gerard get married off to someone else, he'd still be within range of him. That's all he ever wanted. "I've been seeing him around, kind of," Gerard went on. "He knew me from a while back."

"Then he must be pretty stoked about your stardom, eh? Likes the finer things in life…" Frank commented, raising a brow.

"He actually…doesn't seem like that kind of person," Gerard said, staring straight at Frank. Frank muttered a small 'hm' to keep himself from relaying his true feelings. Gerard was looking for a reaction, but Frank couldn't give him one without selling himself out. So he did the next best thing that he could think of.

"Well if you're anything like you are on stage, then I think he's already yours," Frank said, smiling. Gerard blushed, and Frank used it as his leeway to what he'd wanted to say earlier in the escalator.

"Thank you, Frank." There was an exchange of smiles before Gerard formally presented the camera to his guest, despite Frank's suspicions. When presented with the camera, Frank's eyes widened once more like a toddler finding a mountain of candy.

"I wasn't sure how I was going to thank you," Gerard started, and Frank bit his lip to keep from uttering aloud his true desires. With shaking hands, he waited to feel the heavy machinery in his hands; and as soon as there was contact, Frank couldn't suppress his grin. "I mean, your camera is gone now," Gerard continued.

"Like you said...someone pushed me," Frank tried to joke, weighing the object in his hands. "It's my fault for being there. But I would be there all over again anyway, if I got to see you again," he began to nervously ramble.

Gerard blushed as he said, "Which is exactly why I feel like I'm obligated to 'insure' you somehow, so…here you go."

"Don't feel obligated to give me anything—"

Gerard shrugged. "Well that's too bad because I already got your gift," he gloated. Frank could only pretend to be dissatisfied, but it didn't last long as he felt Gerard's arms wrap around his torso. Frank welcomed the innocent hug, completely happy with the way things were unfolding. Not only did Gerard remember him from years ago, but also he had gotten him a present. And they actually had a legit conversation with each other.

"Thank you for everything, Frank," Gerard whispered, griping him tightly. Frank pulled away only slightly, to look Gerard in the eye.

"No, thank you Gerard," Frank replied, voice breaking. This day was just…great! And what better time than now to tell Gerard what he always wanted to? "You may not know but I'm your…your biggest fan," Frank told him, looking into his eyes despite how blurry his own were becoming. "There's no other superstar out there that I care about, no other person in general…I admire your work. I admire you. If…I-if you ever lost all your fans—which wouldn't happen because of your awesomeness, but let's just say—I would still be there. It probably sounds stalker-ish, but I mean it in the sincerest way possible. So I don't care what you do; I'd still be as obsessed about you as I am now. But thank you, thank you, thank you," he blabbered, wiping his eyes.

"I don't think that's enough," Gerard whispered, and Frank's heart was stuck in his throat. Gerard didn't think his 'thank you' was enough? What was he going to do?

Seeing the worried look on Frank's face, Gerard felt the need to correct his statement. "I mean...giving you a camera isn't enough…on my part."

"What? W-why?" Frank stuttered. "Y-you've done more than I've dreamed of you doing. Y-you've spoken to me, held me, thanked me…" Gerard stepped closer, unsatisfied that there were some things that Frank hadn't been able to list: kiss.

"You've been with me since day one," Gerard slowly started, securing his hold around Frank's waist. Frank visibly shuddered. "I think I should give you something greater than a camera."

"No, it's okay," Frank replied, blushing as he found himself holding Gerard as well. Gerard gave him a genuine smile before he continued to trap Frank for sure.

"You have a pretty smile," Gerard murmured, stroking Frank's cheek. Frank bit back a small moan because this was wrong. Yes, he was single (as was Gerard). And yes, Frank wanted it. At the same time, he didn't want any scandal to follow Gerard around. Neither did he want to become one of Gerard's infamous one-nighters. Sure, he would love it if they actually made out, (he could actually say that now, how amazing was that?) but he'd be so broken afterwards. How would anyone do if they woke up after completely exposing themselves to their idol, only to find out they were simply an easy fix?

Life, my friend, would be pretty bad.

Gerard could feel the tension and urged Frank to back up against the wall. As soon as that happened, Frank let out a whimper. It was obvious what Gerard wanted to do, but Gerard didn't want Frank to be scared. And right now, that's exactly how he sounded. With a small gesture, Gerard grabbed the camera and placed it on the dresser.

"Relax," Gerard whispered in Frank's ear. Frank shuddered, gripping Gerard as he repeated, "Just relax."

"But Mr. W-Way," Frank gasped, trying to pull away. Gerard wasn't going to have any of that, though, and he kept his firm hold.

"Speaking of 'way,' let's do things my way," Gerard cockily replied, holding Frank roughly against him.

"B-But what a-about y-your crush?" Frank asked, trying to restrain himself from giving in to and participating with Gerard's erotic movements. He was just about to sleep with Gerard; but if this event got in between Gerard and him getting his little crush, Gerard would hate him as soon as…whatever they had going on right now…was over.

"Frank, you are the other guy," Gerard chuckled before diving for a kiss. Frank immediately pulled away and composed himself with his legs now steadily on the ground and shaking.

Instead of jumping for joy, Frank glared at him. He never thought or expected to react this way, but after hearing that—actually hearing that from Gerard—Frank thought he was losing his mind. "You can screw me without screwing with my mind, you know," he found himself snapping, despite how cheap he just sounded. "I'm not stupid."

"Frank—"

"No, you jerk," Frank stated, shutting Gerard up. He cringed as he said that aloud, though. Jerk or not, he would still adore Gerard. He was his idol, and telling Gerard he was a jerk was not the way to secure him a spot at his next concert.

Quietly, Gerard looked into Frank's eyes and asked, "Could I be your jerk?"

Frank shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to absorb what just happened. When he opened his eyes, they came across the same image of Gerard that was there before they closed. If that was the case, then maybe Gerard wasn't joking. Slowly, Frank took a gulp before he replied. "You're…y-you're being serious, aren't you?" he asked.

Gerard nodded, biting his lip. "I know I've had a twisted way of showing it, but—"

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" Frank asked, pinching himself. "I…I h-have to be d-dreaming. Why aren't I waking up?!"

"Frank, stop," Gerard pleaded, chuckling as he held Frank's hands. "You're not dreaming—"

"It's me, Gerard," Frank interrupted, touching his face and pointing to his body piercings. "Frank Iero. The weird kid from high school that stalked you and your band with his cell phone until he got a camera a year later…and then he stalked you with that. It's the kid with the nerdy glasses? The one who was always in your way…?"

"I know who you are," Gerard agreed, nodding. He moved in to kiss Frank's cheek, thinking the conversation was over; but Frank moved away. Jeez, Gerard never thought it'd be this hard to convince Frank.

"Then you know you're making a mistake," Frank insisted. Frank bit his lip, looking up at the clock in Gerard's suite. So much for his 'great day.' He ruined it by opening his mouth. If Gerard wanted to screw his crush over and take opportunity, then who was he to question him? He did, and now look where it got him.

Embarrassedly, Frank tried to get up and away before Gerard tried something funny on him again. No more kissing for him. "Gerard, I should leave—"

"Frank Iero," Gerard interrupted, with a shocking statement. "I've been stalking you nearly as much as you stalk me." The rock star pulled his number one fan back against him, pleading as he breathed in the boy's intoxicating scent. Nose against Frank's neck, Gerard continued to prove himself.

"Your name is Frank Anthony Iero the third, you're 20 years old, and your birthday's October 31," Gerard mumbled against his skin. Frank's eyes widened in surprise, but Gerard had more things to reveal other than the fact that he knew Frank's basic info. That seemed to be enough for Frank, though.

"Y-you know my birthday?" he asked, tearing up. "Oh God…This is the best dream ever. I don't want to wake up any more," he chuckled, rambling as he wiped his eyes. "I change my mind." Gerard held Frank's hands and shook his head, smiling.

"Frank, I'm not done," Gerard chuckled. Frank's eyes doubled in size.

"There's m-more?"

"Oh yes," Gerard replied, smirking. "I also know that you're an only child, have dark brown hair even though you love dying it black or red. One time you even tried blonde. And you love tattoos and piercings. You were sixteen when you got that one on your lip, seventeen for the nose, eighteen for the tongue, nineteen for your right ear, and twenty for the left. You were debating on doing your eyebrows; but you really like the piercing you have on your lip, nose, and ears, because you wear those most. And the tongue one you did purely from rebellion.

"You and your dad never got along, which was partly the reason why you even came to Bell High. I even know that your first intention of hanging out with me was to show your dad that coming to Bell High was a mistake. But, your plan backfired. A lot," Gerard chuckled, referring to their current situation. "And soon you were begging your dad to let you stay. He promised you could stay at Bell High as long as you stayed away from me and stopped taking pictures of our band. You promised and stayed away, but I kept finding a way to invite you over to our shows, and you kept finding a way to take pics of our band."

Frank was speechless and remained silent as Gerard continued with all the things he knew about him. "You're 5"4' but you feel like a midget when you're around people. You've even tried wearing special shoes to make you look taller, even though I think you're just fine. You're not short; you're in the middle, which is perfectly fine. You have amazingly tan skin, which is probably from your Italian background. You've never been to Italy, but you would love to go. You didn't want to go before, because whenever your dad brought up Italy, it was associated with you finding the right person.

"Since you didn't want his help, you tried on your own. Every single one of your relationships has gone bust, though, because you secretly—or not so secretly—had a crush on some rock-star," Gerard stated, not wanting to sound arrogant. Frank already called him a jerk, and he didn't want to add 'egoistical' to the list.

Frank opened his mouth with a correction. "Have."

"What?" Gerard asked, and Frank shyly repeated himself.

"I still have a crush on 'some rock star,'" Frank admitted, blushing. Gerard smiled, blushing himself as he tried to continue.

"Collin didn't have his eyes, Will didn't have his hair, and Tom couldn't stand your obsession," Gerard said, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't imagine those people Frank had been with, having Frank in their arms. If he looked at Frank now, he was sure he'd envision that. So instead, he looked elsewhere as he recalled the rest of Frank's boyfriends. He unintentionally snuck a glance at Frank as he tried to remember Frank's last one. "Oh, and Jake! Jake was just impossible for you to deal with because of…why are you looking at me like that?"

"N-nothing," Frank stuttered, blinking his eyes. Gerard knew their names and their flaws? Frank should have freaked out to the extreme (how had he known? What did he see?), but instead he was immensely touched and cherished the small gesture. Frank lifted a hand to his chest and bit his lower lip in appreciation, eyes watering. So everyone was wrong when they told him he was wasting his time on Gerard. Gerard stalked him as much as he stalked Gerard!

"I love your eyes, too," Gerard commented, gazing at Frank's watery orbs. He could tell that he was winning Frank over and he continued his pursuit. He was already years late. "You have amazing hazel eyes, but you always wish they were brown so you'd be 'normal' by some definition. Frank Anthony Iero the third," Gerard said, "after four years of intense study, you are anything but normal. You're extraordinary." Softly, he cradled Frank's cheek and Frank's other hand reached to cover Gerard's own. It was a completely different gesture than the ones Frank had been demonstrating a few seconds ago. Sure of the progress, Gerard went on. "You've just been surrounded by idiots who either didn't understand who they had standing next to them, or people who were too foolish to speak out when they should of."

"G-Gerard?"

"I understand that I'm being…so direct," Gerard admitted, removing the fringe Frank was sporting from his face. Frank remained still, following Gerard with his eyes. "But," Gerard continued, blushing from embarrassment, "I couldn't think of a way to get you here with me so I could thank you for everything. I…had you come to Bell High a year or two before, your plan to move back would have worked. I swear I was the worst kid there. But this friend of mine suggested we start a band. So we did, but we didn't really have any serious fans. That motivation was going down the drain, and I was already heading back to my old ways until you showed up and changed everything. All of a sudden, I had fans, I had a paparazzo—even if he was just shooting pictures on his cell phone for me—and it seemed like I actually found something I loved doing.

"Frank, I've wanted to thank you ever since the band's first gig," Gerard admitted. "I mean, I really wanted to, and I tried to talk to Brandon to invite you over to one of our parties, but they convinced me that it would ruin our image if we associated with you too much because of your…appearance." He winced as he admitted it, but there was no difference with the flow of tears from Frank's face. He felt the need to apologize immediately. "But you looked fine—"

"My glasses, right?" Frank asked. "My face? My clothes? My voice? I…I don't blame you."

"Frank—"

"I was a disaster in high school, okay? I know. I know," Frank said, sniffling.

"No, Frank," Gerard insisted, shaking his head. "We were all shitty looking in high school. But you were the best of us all. Those huge dark rimmed glasses were kinda cute on you." Gerard waited for a response, but Frank remained silent, sniffling. He took a breath and continued to plead his case.

"But anyway, I talked the guys into letting you come to our shows at least, and ever since then you've never gone. I was worried I had lost my chance with you when it came time for you to graduate because I heard all the stories about you being accepted into Rutgers and a place in Paris; but you stayed in Jersey, going to Bell Community College. So I forced the band to play around gigs in the Bell area so it'd be easier for you to come. And then we had our first few hits, went national, and I lost your face in the crowd of paparazzi and media. It went from having one fan, to two hundred, to two hundred thousand. And our success…the band's success was all thanks to you. It was too much. I knew I had to thank you somehow. I had already waited too long.

"So I picked to do a random signing of things at the Lucre of all places, since it was nearby to your home—yes, I know where you live. I contemplated going over…I was going to go over if we never met face to face, but I didn't want the media to drive you out of your home, you know? So I picked the Lucre and…kinda asked some of my friends to act as paparazzi that would 'accidentally' shove you into me." Frank remained amazed, and he was speechless. Feeling the need to fill the silence, Gerard continued. "When they pushed you, I thought it was the wrong person, actually…"

"W-wait," Frank started, his heart thumping. Gerard's confessions were getting better and better by the second. "Y-you planned…you did what?"

"I told the people who pushed you to do that to you today," Gerard said, blushing in embarrassment. He scratched the back of his head as he tried to give an apology. "So, yeah…the camera breaking is kinda my fault."

Frank's eyes widened once more for the night before he looked Gerard straight in the eye. Even then, his eyes didn't remain on Gerard. They traveled back to his backpack and camera on the floor of Gerard's grand suite. All of this…this whole day was planned. And it seemed like the feelings fueling Gerard's fire had been there years ago. Taking this all into consideration, Frank took a step back; and with his mind now made up, Frank glared at Gerard as if to ask, 'What took you so long?!'

"I know, I know. I'm stupid," Gerard apologized, shaking his head. He motioned over to the brand new camera on the floor. "I got you the camera I knew you always wanted as soon as I left the place, and I had a long, long talk with my friends. I swear I didn't mean for your camera to break. I just wanted—"

Gerard was interrupted by a kiss to the lips, and he paused as he felt Frank's lips on his skin. Turning an even darker shade of pink, Gerard pulled away from the boy within his arms. Frank leaned in to kiss Gerard again on the lips, silencing any possibility Gerard had of speaking again. He'd heard more than enough from Gerard, and he didn't have to worry about winning Frank over. He had him at, "I'm completely single," which was said about twenty minutes ago.

Instead, it was his turn. Frank retreated his lips to Gerard's lower one, sucking on it feverishly. And soon enough, he wrapped his legs securely around Gerard's waist, gripping tightly onto Gerard as he groaned.

"Bed," Frank demanded, inching forward.

Gerard inched forward as well, kissing Frank again. "Are you sure?" he asked, giving another peck. "I still feel like a jerk from before."

"Shhh," Frank seductively whispered, kissing Gerard's neck until he made his way to Gerard's ear. Gerard shuddered violently at the impact of Frank's 'attention' on his ear and Frank took advantage of the moment as he murmured, "We're three years behind schedule."

"I did tell you…that your present…was in my…room, didn't I?" Gerard agreed, carrying Frank as he tried to return the affection. Frank groaned as he wrapped his legs tighter around Gerard in response, and Gerard easily led them to his bedroom. With a swift motion of his fingers the bedroom doors were locked, symbolizing the solidity of their unspoken deal.

Gerard had an idea that he and Frank would have a good time. He did, after all, stalk Frank as well: possibly even more than Frank had stalked him. After watching Frank's reactions from his performances on stage and from what he'd heard and saw from Frank's past relationships, Gerard knew he already had this cat in the bag.

"So…" Gerard asked as he laid Frank on his bed. Frank lustfully eyed Gerard's body and Gerard smirked as he undid his belt; it wasn't long before he asked the question that would damn them both:

"How do you want your present, Frank?"


End file.
